It doesn't matter what I make, as a sole-income earner, or what we make when we're both working. It doesn't matter what kind of retirement plan I have or the brand names of food I can buy. What matters, what always matters, is right now. And if my right now, whenever and wherever that is--now and later... includes living a life I love with people I love, then I am happy.
And my right now, at this moment, includes this phone conversation that I just had with Tad.
Me: Hello?
Tad: Speaking of gorgeous.
Me: (laughing) Hi baby.
Tad: I just walked outside for lunch and while you beat this day a million to one, it is still lovely out.
Me: I love you.
Tad: I just want you to know that I know I am in the right place right now.
He goes on to tell me about some concerns Coen was expressing about his first grade classroom and some of the rules (which are new to him--going from kindergarten to first grade--elementary school--is a big transition for him). Tad was able to express these concerns with his teachers at the Montessori Institute and they assured him about some things and gave him some ideas for talking to Coen about it.
We talk more and I remind him that we're having African Peanut Chicken Stew tonight... over rice. A very cheap and fun thing to make. If its good, I'll post the recipe!
We both hang up feeling good and I take my lunch break to go for a walk outside in the gorgeous day.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
10 pounds of potatoes
I just want everyone to know that we managed to use 10 pounds of potatoes in two weeks.
We had:
1. Chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn on the cob
(Dinner party with six adults and four kids)
2. Potato salad
(Picnic lunch celebrating Tad's, his dad's and his sister's birthday)
3. Fancy dinner with pork and roasted veggies
(Made last week and lasting for two dinners and two lunches)
4. Hashbrowns
(Breakfast for dinner on Tuesday night)
5. Chicken, baked potatoes and broccoli
(Dinner last night!)
Never thought I'd get through it all, but I did! Yay, us!
We had:
1. Chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn on the cob
(Dinner party with six adults and four kids)
2. Potato salad
(Picnic lunch celebrating Tad's, his dad's and his sister's birthday)
3. Fancy dinner with pork and roasted veggies
(Made last week and lasting for two dinners and two lunches)
4. Hashbrowns
(Breakfast for dinner on Tuesday night)
5. Chicken, baked potatoes and broccoli
(Dinner last night!)
Never thought I'd get through it all, but I did! Yay, us!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Granola!
We woke up this morning to a lovely thunderstorm and the kids both brought a host of stuffed animals downstairs to cuddle with on the couch while they watched some morning public television.
After I while, I asked Lucy if she wanted to help me in the kitchen and we dragged a stool over to the counter and she happily climbed on top ready for instructions.
We poured the following into a big bowl:
4 cups of quick oats
1 cup of sunflower seeds (shelled)
1/3 cup of flour
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
a pinch of brown sugar (mostly to make it interesting for Lucy--she likes to taste the sugar :)
We mixed it all around with a big wooden spoon. Then I heated the following in the microwave for about 1.5 minutes
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
We poured that over the mixture and spread it out on a greased cookie sheet.
We put it in the oven at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.
Let it cool and break it up and there you have it! Homemade granola.
Delicious!
And it makes the amount of a box of granola which tends to run $4.00 or so. This will cost about a total of $2.00
Try it!!!
After I while, I asked Lucy if she wanted to help me in the kitchen and we dragged a stool over to the counter and she happily climbed on top ready for instructions.
We poured the following into a big bowl:
4 cups of quick oats
1 cup of sunflower seeds (shelled)
1/3 cup of flour
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
a pinch of brown sugar (mostly to make it interesting for Lucy--she likes to taste the sugar :)
We mixed it all around with a big wooden spoon. Then I heated the following in the microwave for about 1.5 minutes
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
We poured that over the mixture and spread it out on a greased cookie sheet.
We put it in the oven at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.
Let it cool and break it up and there you have it! Homemade granola.
Delicious!
And it makes the amount of a box of granola which tends to run $4.00 or so. This will cost about a total of $2.00
Try it!!!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Date night
Tad and I had a date night last night, which was mostly free, thanks to Milwaukee in the summer. Also thanks to my in-laws who were kind enough to let us drop our kids off yesterday at dinnertime and keep them until later today.
Yesterday Tad participated in a Fantasy Football draft at his friend's house. A friend who was kind enough to cover Tad's cost of the league fees, realizing that he'll likely win. Apparently, my husband is good at fantasy sports. I don't understand it at all, but I suppose it's no more inane than me checking facebook several times a day. We all have our guilty pleasures. Anyway, families were invited over there after the draft so Tad and I ate an early dinner there with the kids. Then we took them over to their grandparents'
For our date, we went to Made in Milwaukee, a free event with music, art and food. We weren't too hungry, so we split a crepe between us, so our dinner was $3.00 apiece. Then we took a long walk around our old east side neighborhood and went home to watch a netflix movie and go to bed.
Today, the date continues. We used the kid-free time to walk to outpost for a smoothie, coffee, baked-good breakfast and walked back home to clean and organize closets and rooms. I cleaned up and fixed up a dollhouse we got from a coworker of mine. It is in tip-top shape now, all the furniture and dolls in a pretty tissue paper lined box, ready to wrap for Lucy's 3rd birthday in November. Tad organized his closets and and before he put all this clothes in the goodwill pile, I grabbed the stuff that would make good scrap fabric for sewing projects.
Now I'm waiting for my homemade pizza dough to rise, pizza for dinner tonight when the kids get home.
Also, I walked around that art fair yesterday and did not buy a single. lovely, handmade thing. And I lived to tell the tale!
Yesterday Tad participated in a Fantasy Football draft at his friend's house. A friend who was kind enough to cover Tad's cost of the league fees, realizing that he'll likely win. Apparently, my husband is good at fantasy sports. I don't understand it at all, but I suppose it's no more inane than me checking facebook several times a day. We all have our guilty pleasures. Anyway, families were invited over there after the draft so Tad and I ate an early dinner there with the kids. Then we took them over to their grandparents'
For our date, we went to Made in Milwaukee, a free event with music, art and food. We weren't too hungry, so we split a crepe between us, so our dinner was $3.00 apiece. Then we took a long walk around our old east side neighborhood and went home to watch a netflix movie and go to bed.
Today, the date continues. We used the kid-free time to walk to outpost for a smoothie, coffee, baked-good breakfast and walked back home to clean and organize closets and rooms. I cleaned up and fixed up a dollhouse we got from a coworker of mine. It is in tip-top shape now, all the furniture and dolls in a pretty tissue paper lined box, ready to wrap for Lucy's 3rd birthday in November. Tad organized his closets and and before he put all this clothes in the goodwill pile, I grabbed the stuff that would make good scrap fabric for sewing projects.
Now I'm waiting for my homemade pizza dough to rise, pizza for dinner tonight when the kids get home.
Also, I walked around that art fair yesterday and did not buy a single. lovely, handmade thing. And I lived to tell the tale!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Splurging
Well, I did some spurging. I am not remorseful.
Splurge #1: Coen has not been eating his lunches. When questioned why, he reported that his lunch box is soggy and smells funny. I inspected. Indeed, it smells funny and a small tear on the inner lining is collecting moisture AND food smells. SO...upon request, I went online and bought him a Star Wars lunch box. He's going to love it. I don't care if it was $15.00 (including shipping).
Splurge #2: Sometimes you just have to pay for quality. Three of four of us in our family have a nice Sigg Metal water bottle. Lucy has a knock-off from Target. It is a piece of crap. She cannot open it by herself. In fact neither Tad nor Coen can open it by themselves either. I have to open it. With my teeth. I am going to buy her a Sigg one. I have not made this spurge yet.... but I'm telling you; its going to happen.
Splurge #3 (The last): Today, Tad and I spent the day with just Lucy. I believe this is only the second or third time in her life that she's spent a WHOLE DAY with Tad and me. No big brother. (he was at school) Coen spent his first four years of life with just Tad and me so I'm happy that we got to do this. So we went to Alterra. We spent $13.00. We got two coffees (and two refills), a milk, a piece of pumpkin chocolate chip bread (Lucy's favorite) and a quiche. It had to be done.
We took Lucy to Betty Brinn's (free -- we have an already purchased membership -- thanks Mom and Dad) We ate a lunch at home (Thanks $76.77 worth of groceries) and then during Lucy's nap, we watched a movie on the couch in the middle of the day. (thanks Netflix)
Oh! Well, then.
Splurge #4: I am sorry, but if I can't go to any movies, concerts, plays or sporting events for the duration of the year, I'm not getting rid of Netflix. No way. No how.
So there.
Splurge #1: Coen has not been eating his lunches. When questioned why, he reported that his lunch box is soggy and smells funny. I inspected. Indeed, it smells funny and a small tear on the inner lining is collecting moisture AND food smells. SO...upon request, I went online and bought him a Star Wars lunch box. He's going to love it. I don't care if it was $15.00 (including shipping).
Splurge #2: Sometimes you just have to pay for quality. Three of four of us in our family have a nice Sigg Metal water bottle. Lucy has a knock-off from Target. It is a piece of crap. She cannot open it by herself. In fact neither Tad nor Coen can open it by themselves either. I have to open it. With my teeth. I am going to buy her a Sigg one. I have not made this spurge yet.... but I'm telling you; its going to happen.
Splurge #3 (The last): Today, Tad and I spent the day with just Lucy. I believe this is only the second or third time in her life that she's spent a WHOLE DAY with Tad and me. No big brother. (he was at school) Coen spent his first four years of life with just Tad and me so I'm happy that we got to do this. So we went to Alterra. We spent $13.00. We got two coffees (and two refills), a milk, a piece of pumpkin chocolate chip bread (Lucy's favorite) and a quiche. It had to be done.
We took Lucy to Betty Brinn's (free -- we have an already purchased membership -- thanks Mom and Dad) We ate a lunch at home (Thanks $76.77 worth of groceries) and then during Lucy's nap, we watched a movie on the couch in the middle of the day. (thanks Netflix)
Oh! Well, then.
Splurge #4: I am sorry, but if I can't go to any movies, concerts, plays or sporting events for the duration of the year, I'm not getting rid of Netflix. No way. No how.
So there.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Birthdays!
Autumn is a time for birthdays in the life of my family. And birthdays lead a person to thinking: presents & parties. And presents & parties lead a person to thinking: money. *Sigh*
 |
Now, today my husband, partner, love-of-my-life turns 36. I've already taken care of the cake issue (if you read yesterday's blog) $10.00 chocolate chip cookie cake at Sentry. But a present. Hmmmm. Obviously I will not be indulging in the capitalist venture of buying him a shirt or tie or cd or concert tickets like I have been wont to do in years past. But really, I don't want to give him nothing! So here's what I'm doing: I have printed up a series of three (very adorable) pictures of Tad with his children. When we were in the Dells this summer, and had to wait an extrordinarily long time at a restaurant for our food, Tad let Coen and Lucy, climb on his lap and color his white t-shirt with crayons. It kept them involved for at least twenty minutes and was a lovely sight to behold. Looking at the pictures, it really hit me what a great dad he is. I'm not sure how many people would allow two children to create arwork upon their person, but Tad doing so showed his patience, creativity and absolute dedication to his kids and their needs at that moment. So I have printed three of those photos and will matte them with colorful art work by the aforementioned children. All I have to buy is a cheap triple frame from Michael's craft store. Voilla! Birthday present!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
First day of school
Today was Coen's first day of first grade. We dropped Lucy off at daycare and then Tad and I took Coen to school together. It was raining, so there was not the usual revelry and crowd of children and parents on the playground. We sat in the foyer, Coen nestled on my lap, me trying not to transfer my nervous energy to him. When they called his class, he jumped up and lined up with his classmates. I cried the second we got in the car.
Then I went grocery shopping. $76.77 today, and I had to buy some cleaning stuff--hand soap refill jug, sponges and the like! Tomorrow I'll spend an extra $20. Four cases of bubbly water at Sentry and Tad's birthday cake. Sentry has these incredibly delicious chocolate chip cookie cakes for only $10.00, no matter how much frosting you order to be piled upon it. Pretty good deal for a birthday cake!
After school/work was done for the day, we were in the car and heading home. Tad said, "I wish we could go out to dinner tonight." I felt exactly the same. The last thing I wanted to do was eat pork and potatoes for the third night in a row and there was NO WAY we were getting the kids to eat it again. Then I remembered the Culvers gift cards--one I'd one and two more generously given me by a coworker.
So we went to Culvers. Coen and Lucy had kids meal and Tad and I split an adults meal. We all had ice cream for dessert. Know how much it cost? Zero dollars and zero cents. $0.00.
Happy first day of school, everyone.
Then I went grocery shopping. $76.77 today, and I had to buy some cleaning stuff--hand soap refill jug, sponges and the like! Tomorrow I'll spend an extra $20. Four cases of bubbly water at Sentry and Tad's birthday cake. Sentry has these incredibly delicious chocolate chip cookie cakes for only $10.00, no matter how much frosting you order to be piled upon it. Pretty good deal for a birthday cake!
After school/work was done for the day, we were in the car and heading home. Tad said, "I wish we could go out to dinner tonight." I felt exactly the same. The last thing I wanted to do was eat pork and potatoes for the third night in a row and there was NO WAY we were getting the kids to eat it again. Then I remembered the Culvers gift cards--one I'd one and two more generously given me by a coworker.
So we went to Culvers. Coen and Lucy had kids meal and Tad and I split an adults meal. We all had ice cream for dessert. Know how much it cost? Zero dollars and zero cents. $0.00.
Happy first day of school, everyone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)